Award Winning Independent Creative Director
Books, Brands and Public Spaces
Artist book produced in association with the Bible Society, combining photography, typography and sound under the title Presence: Shapes, in collaboration with DJ Andy Hunter. Produced using GF Smith papers with specialist stocks, white ink, translucent pages, hidden sequences and a perforated closed section, the publication is structured across five chapters, each paired with an accompanying music track to create a multi sensory reading experience.
Large scale public artwork You Are Enough, installed on St Peter’s House, Oxford Road, Manchester. Commissioned in response to student mental health and academic pressure, the typographic banner formed a public message of self-worth and reassurance within the university district. The work functioned as a civic intervention, using language and scale to address wellbeing and identity in a highly visible urban context.
Magazine and editorial design for The Guardian, created as a Manchester International Festival (MIF) insert. The cover concept informed the wider layout system, delivered for national distribution.
Large scale typographic public installation at Wembley Stadium, London, created for UEFA Euro 2020 (held in 2021 due to COVID-19 postponement). Installed on the Spanish Steps, the work featured football fans holding flags, activating the piece within the stadium environment during one of the world’s major sporting events.
Large scale photographic wall installation for SEESAW co-working space, Manchester, spanning 18 metres floor to ceiling. Developed in collaboration with photographer Harris, the work is drawn from the publication Tethering Presence, NYC and combines photography and typographic commentary. All imagery was captured in New York City, forming a visual narrative that functions as both social observation and interior backdrop.
300 page artist monograph The Human Touch, published in 2017 by Manchester Metropolitan University and Collect Art. Developed in close collaboration with writer Michael Howard, the publication documents the life and work of artist Ghislaine Howard, and was shaped through editorial design, visual sequencing and production craft. Spanning 287 full colour illustrated pages, the book was produced using high-end materials including Dutch cloth binding, functioning as both archive and visual survey of the practice.
Public installation The Belonging Project, presented in front of the church in St Ann’s Square, Manchester. The work features flags illustrated with text drawn from anonymous public submissions exploring the theme of belonging during periods of isolation. Installed within a civic space, the piece transforms personal reflections into a collective visual statement.
Conceptual photography book held in Manchester University Special Collections, produced using GF Smith and Fedrigoni papers, white ink, Japanese folds and sewn binding. Developed in collaboration with HebtroCo.
Podcast cover design for The Shiloh Podcast, part of The Shiloh Project, a cross-university research collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Auckland, funded by the AHRC. The podcast explores how religion intersects with gender and violence, examining the ways in which cultural and religious narratives can both challenge and sustain rape culture.
Logo and visual identity for The Adaptability Institute, developed for a New York based media agency. The identity system was designed around principles of flexibility and transformation, creating a modular visual language that could adapt across digital and print applications. The logo and supporting assets establish a clear, scalable framework for communication across varied contexts.
Micah Purnell is an award-winning Manchester-based creative director, artist and author. For over 25 years he has created public artworks, publications, visual identities and campaigns for organisations including Nike, the NHS, Wembley Stadium, The Guardian, Footlocker, Howdens, Pizza Express, Elbow and leading universities.
Working across editorial design, brand identity, advertising and public messaging, I help organisations translate ideas into experiences that are clear, memorable and meaningful. Through the considered use of typography, language and image, each project is shaped to communicate with clarity, character and purpose.
With more than twenty years of freelance experience, my practice spans global brands, charities and cultural organisations. From publications and identities to campaigns and environments, the aim is always the same: to create work that connects with people and endures beyond its first encounter.